“The figures for 2021 show the profound crisis in which we find ourselves as the Catholic Church in Germany,” said Bishop Georg Bätzing.
Europe
Posted inFaith, News
Belgian bishop asks Pope Francis not to make him a cardinal to prevent abuse survivors ‘from being hurt again’
Retired Bishop Lucas Van Looy of Ghent, Belgium, asked Pope Francis to withdraw his nomination, and the pope agreed.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Catholic bishops condemn Boris Johnson’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda
“Migration is a complex issue, but it is not resolved by delegating our roles and responsibilities to other countries,” said Bishop Paul McAleenan.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Pope Francis congratulates Queen Elizabeth II on Platinum Jubilee
Pope Francis sent well-wishes to Queen Elizabeth II as the reigning British monarch began the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of her coronation.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Review: The ‘Downton Abbey’ characters already got happy endings. So why do they need a new film?
The danger with returning to characters who have struggled to find their way and earned their success is that if you don’t have a new story worthy of them, you risk undermining all that they have achieved.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
Ukraine, World War III and Pope Francis’ roadmap for the church
The world is at war, but we must think about the post-war world. We should not repeat old mistakes and underestimate the spiritual energy of the world’s religions.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Trump was never popular with young voters. So how did Marine Le Pen win over France’s youth?
If Marine Le Pen pulls off an upset in France next weekend, it may be because young voters do not share their parents’ fears about the far right.
Posted inFaith, News
German bishop responds to open letter critical of Synodal Path, saying there is no danger of schism
“Euphemistic dressing up, as you try to do in your letter, does not really help.”
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Ukraine’s Way of the Cross: Papal almoner prays at mass grave
On the way back to Kyiv from Borodyanka, a town that had been under control of Russian forces, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski prayed amid the ruins and bodies of those killed, including by an unmarked mass grave, he told Vatican News on April 15.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
A Ukrainian and a Russian were invited to lead the Vatican’s Via Crucis. Ukraine wants Pope Francis to reconsider.
The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church asked Pope Francis to scrap plans to have a Ukrainian woman and a Russian woman carry the cross together during the pope’s Way of the Cross service.